Heidi Cruz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Heidi Cruz
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Cruz in 2016
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| Born |
Heidi Suzanne Nelson
August 7, 1972 |
| Education | Claremont McKenna College (BA) Université libre de Bruxelles (MA) Harvard University (MBA) |
| Occupation |
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| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 2 |
Heidi Suzanne Cruz (born August 7, 1972) is an American businesswoman. She is known for her work in finance. Since 2012, she has been a managing director at Goldman Sachs, a large investment bank.
Cruz studied at Claremont McKenna College, the Université libre de Bruxelles, and Harvard Business School. She worked as an economic policy advisor for George W. Bush's 2000 presidential campaign. Later, she held different jobs in the Bush administration. These included advising the Treasury Department and the National Security Council. In 2005, she started working at Goldman Sachs.
In 2001, she married Ted Cruz, who later became a U.S. Senator. They have two daughters together. During his 2016 presidential campaign, she took time off from her job. She helped raise money and spoke on his behalf.
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Early life and family
Heidi Suzanne Nelson was born on August 7, 1972. Her birthplace was San Luis Obispo, California. Her parents, Suzanne Jane and Peter Christian Nelson, were a dental hygienist and a dentist.
Heidi grew up in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Her family lived in different countries, including Kenya, Nigeria, and parts of Asia. Her parents worked there as missionaries, helping with dental health. As a child, Heidi became interested in business. She even sold homemade bread with her brother, Scott.
Education
Heidi attended Valley View Adventist Academy in Arroyo Grande, California. She finished high school in 1990 at Monterey Bay Academy. This was an Adventist boarding school.
After high school, Heidi went to Claremont McKenna College. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and International Relations in 1994. While there, she was active in the student Republican group. She also studied abroad at the University of Strasbourg.
In 1995, she received a Master's degree from the Université libre de Bruxelles in Brussels, Belgium. Her second graduate degree was an MBA from Harvard Business School in 2000.
Family life
After marrying Ted Cruz in 2001, Heidi moved to Texas in 2004. She and her husband have two daughters, Caroline and Catherine. Since 2011, she has said that she is the main provider for her family.
Cruz later joined the Southern Baptist church. However, she still eats a vegetarian diet. This is part of her Adventist upbringing.
Career
In 2000, Heidi Nelson worked as an economic policy director. This was for the Bush for President campaign. It was there that she met her future husband, Ted Cruz.
After their marriage in 2001, she worked for the Bush administration. She started as a top assistant to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick. Her focus was on economic policy. In 2002, Cruz worked as director of the Latin America desk at the Treasury Department. She taught herself to speak Spanish between jobs.
In 2003, Cruz worked directly for National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice. Cruz became the director for the Western Hemisphere on the National Security Council. She enjoyed her time with the Bush administration. She found her work to be "personally fulfilling." That year, she gave a speech to the graduating class at Southern Adventist University.
After commuting for a year, she moved to Texas in 2004. She briefly worked for Merrill Lynch. She also worked for JPMorgan Chase. In 2005, she started working for Goldman Sachs as a private wealth manager.
From 2005 to 2011, she was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She also served on the board of directors for the Greater Houston Partnership. In 2012, after seven years at Goldman Sachs, Cruz was promoted. She became the regional head for the Southwest United States in the Investment Management Division in Houston. In 2019, she was considered for the position of president of the World Bank.
Role in 2016 presidential campaign
Heidi Cruz took a leave of absence from her job. This was to help with her husband's 2016 presidential campaign. She made many public appearances on her husband's behalf. Some experts said she helped make her husband seem more approachable. This was important for a candidate whose personality was a main challenge.
Early campaigning
Early in the campaign, Cruz's main role was raising money. She called potential donors to ask for contributions. A campaign leader compared her fundraising skills to her work at Goldman Sachs. He said few spouses could make such a strong case to a donor.
Starting in August 2015, Cruz often attended presidential debates. When asked about her role as First Lady, she said she would focus on improving the economy. She wanted to help those with lower incomes. In November 2015, she delivered signatures and payment for her husband to appear on the ballot in Alabama.
On December 3, Cruz filed paperwork for her husband's name to appear on the Texas ballot. She said the campaign had a strong strategy. She also mentioned their large "grass-roots army." She became more visible on TV in the months leading up to the primaries.
Primaries
Cruz campaigned for her husband in Iowa before the 2016 Republican caucuses. Ted Cruz won Iowa. She believed this was because people came together with one strong voice. In January, she made stops in New Hampshire to gather support. In February, she spoke at a luncheon for Republican women in Reno, Nevada.
Cruz's campaigning in Texas was seen as very important. It helped her husband win his home state on Super Tuesday. She and her husband were confident about his chances. She highlighted Texas as their home state. After Super Tuesday, Cruz also campaigned in North Carolina, Illinois, and Missouri. She spoke for her husband at Fayetteville Technical Community College. She also appeared with him in Wisconsin. Weeks before the state primaries, Cruz visited Indiana.
Ted Cruz ended his campaign after losing to Donald Trump in Indiana on May 3, 2016. Before he dropped out, there was a disagreement between the Cruz campaign and Donald Trump.
See also
In Spanish: Heidi Cruz para niños
